Improvement in dividers for harvesting-machines



- UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

W. A. WOOD, OF HOOSICK FALLS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN DIVIDERS FOR HARVESTlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Lettus Patent No. 37,995, dated March 24,1863.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WV. A. WOOD, of Hoosick Falls, in the county ofRensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in an Outside Shoe or Divider for the Cutting Apparatus ofa Harvesting-lilachine, Aand I do hereby declare the vfollowing to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which--Figure 1 represents a side View of the shoe or divider, and Fig. 2represents a top plan thereof.

'Ihis shoe or divider is designed, mainly, to be used in connection witha cutting apparatus patented to me on the 2d day of December,y 1862, butmay be used elsewhere where an open shoe of its character would bedesirable. Its object is to prevent cut or dead grass or mousenestsffrom clinging and clogging therein; and the invention consists in the enlarged open space behind and over the end of the 1inger-bar,inconnection with the steel cap and open spring-point and shearingplate,so' that the sickle, vibrating through said open point, may cut up andcarry out I any and all clogging matter of the character mentioned thatInay hang thereon,Y and be ,free to drop out over or behind the end ofthe linger-bar. t

` To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe the same with reference to the-drawings.

A represents the shoe or divider, it being made, mainly, of cast-iron.The portionBis made of steel and riveted onto the shoe at a, and extendsforward to the point b, where it tapers off to quite a sharp point, andis unconnected to the portion c underneath it. On the portion c oftheshoe which is widened out at its rear, but which also tapers off` to apoint grass that may cling thereto, particularly dead grass, which ismore apt to hang thereon. The sole of the shoe is narrowed down, so asto occupy but a very narrow strip in moving over the ground. Thefinger-bar occupies the position shown in red lines in Fig. l, and has agroove, c, formed init for the cutter-bar to work in. Over thisfinger-bar, as well as in rear of it, there is a large open space toallow any grass that may get in there to fall out and not hang. Thereshould be spring or elasticity enough in the cappiece B to yield to suchundue pressure at the point as Inay sometimes occur should the cutterfail to cut up and carry out the dead grass.'

A track-clearer may be attached at f by a screw-bolt, g, so that it (thetrack-clearer) may raise up or descend at its rear as it passes overinequalities in or on the surface Vof the ground. The point ofthe'cutter eX- tends out to or near the points b of the shoe yordivider.

bar, to which it is fastened, and the upper and under portions of whosefront approach each other near enough for the cutter to pass throughwithout being united, substantially as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

W. A. WOOD.

Witnesses:

C. E. PETERS, LEN. KING.

